Domestic things

Guess what?  I've brought the Western Australian weather home with me to Victoria.  Actually it's not so bad as our mornings and evenings are cool and we do have an air conditioner in our main living area if the heat becomes too oppressive.  

The warm weather has me thinking about salads so last night I made a watermelon, baby spinach, feta and mint salad.  It is suppose to include spring onion but as my stomach can't tolerate any raw onion, I didn't include it.  The salad had a lovely simple dressing too.  Recipe found here.    I also decided to make falafel for the first time ever and they were sooo yummy, recipe found here.  I added a little more salt before eating and then they were perfect.

Baking has been on the agenda too.  One of my favourite shop bought biscuits are Arnott's Venetians and the following recipe it the closest thing I could find.

VANILLA CURRANT COOKIES

Ingredients

 125g butter

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar

1 egg

2 cups (300g) self-raising flour

1/2 cup (45g) desiccated coconut

1/4 cup (35g) dried currants.

Vanilla Icing

1 1/2 cups (240g) icing sugar mixture

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1 1/2 teaspoons soft butter

1 1/2 tablespoon milk

Method

Beat butter, essence, sugar and egg in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Stir in flour, coconut and currants.  (My little tip is to mix the currants in before adding the flour and coconut, they mix in better then.)  Shape 2 rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls; place about 5cm apart on greased oven trays (or baking paper lined), flatten cookies with hand until 5mm thick.  Bake in moderately hot oven (190C) for about 10 minutes or until browned lightly; cool cookies on trays.  Spread cookies thinly with vanilla icing; place on wire racks until set.

Vanilla Icing - Combine all ingredients in small heatproof bowl, stir over hot water, until icing is spreadable.

Makes about 40 (I made 30 'cos I like big biccies).

Recipe from the The Australian Women's Weekly, Sweet and Simple Biscuits and Slices

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Yesterday I felt the need for a little colour in the house so picked this little posy of summer flowers.

In the posy are four different Pelargoniums, Trailing Lantana, Roses, two varieties of Salvia, Echinops Ritro (that's the purple spiky one) and Snapdragons.  Rather a lot of flowers to pack into one little posy don't you think?!  Some are hiding on the other side so you can't see them.


Look what I found hiding in the vege garden.

One very round and fat zucchini (courgette).  It's a different variety than what I usually plant and at least I have one zucchini with another growing.  We have a few lettuce growing too but not much else in the way of veges.  :(  Maybe next summer will be better.


Wishing you all a lovely weekend whatever you get up to.


Anne  xx